except for -vmargs which is being used to start up the Eclipse Debugger.

−

* first pass at standalone GDB debugger using CDT components

+

Operation modes:

−

* using Eclipse application and restricting plug-ins used

+

-h, --help print this help, then exit

−

* debugger is working but indexer is not being invoked

+

−

* header files not being recognized

+

−

=== Sept 23, 2013 ===

+

Indexing assist options:

+

-b BUILD_LOG build log to use for compiler includes/flags

−

* added default GCC spec file LanguageSettingsProvider

+

Target options:

−

* this gets standard header files to open in Outline view

+

-a attach to an existing process (list will be shown)

+

-c COREFILE debug core-file (should also specify executable)

+

-e EXECUTABLE [ARGS...] debug given executable (passing ARGS to main)

−

=== Sept 30, 2013 ===

+

The -e option must be used last as subsequent options are passed to main.

−

* added code to add all source files specified as Project resources

+

Specifying insufficient arguments for a particular target will result in a

−

* this gets indexer to work and adds non-C-standard header file support

+

dialog displayed to enter the required values for that target. Specifying

+

no target option brings up a dialog for debugging an executable with the

+

executable path, program arguments, and build log filled in from the last -e

+

invocation, if one exists.

−

=== Oct 07, 2013 ===

+

Wiki page: <http://wiki.eclipse.org/CDT/StandaloneDebugger>

−

* Removed Source and Refactoring menus using IActivity filters

+

The Standalone Debugger is designed to make debugging easier for the C/C++ developer that has little to no experience with Eclipse.

−

=== Oct 14, 2013 ===

+

Normally, to use the C/C++ tools in Eclipse, a user needs to set up an Eclipse project. An Eclipse project has natures which dictates various menus and actions

+

that are appropriate for the project. For example, one might have Eclipse loaded with Java and C/C++ support, but a user does not

+

want to see Java-specific menu items for a project that has been designated C/C++. For C/C++, there are multiple natures that may apply due to the fact that there are multiple types of C/C++ projects based on how the project is built (e.g. an Autotools project vs a project which maintains its own Makefile). Rather than impose the Eclipse project model on the end-user that just wishes

+

to debug, the Standalone Debugger automatically creates a C/C++ project on behalf of the end-user. As mentioned, the Standalone Debugger only loads a subset of the all the CDT plug-ins pertaining

+

to debugging and build plug-ins are not included in this list. Thus, the Standalone debugger does not have to be concerned with adding natures pertaining

To debug an application, attached process, or core-file, in Eclipse, a user would normally have to set up

−

** currently not being picked up by indexer for header files

+

an Eclipse launch configuration. Launch configurations store all the information required to launch an application such as

+

what application is being launched, parameters passed, environment variables, etc... In the case of a debug launch configuration this

+

includes what debugger is used and parameters to the debugger itself. At present, the debugger used is gdb. Launch configurations can have different types based on what

+

is being launched. This allows the UI to request the appropriate info from the user (e.g. if launching a core-file, the core-file location plus the executable location is needed). Rather than force an end-user to learn how to use launch configurations, the Standalone Debugger creates an Eclipse launch configuration on behalf of

+

the end-user based on the parameters used. The debug session is automatically started so the end-user basically

+

just has to start debugging which is fairly intuitive in the Eclipse IDE.

−

=== Oct 21, 2013 ===

+

While knowledge of Eclipse launch configurations and projects are not required for users of the Standalone Debugger, they still exist and experienced Eclipse users can manipulate the default projects and launch configurations created if so desired.

−

* added Dwarf4 support to CDT

+

Once the IDE is started, a user may debug other executables, attached processes, or core-files manually. These actions are provided under the top-level File menu and each action will prompt the user for the required information.

−

** code submitted upstream for review

+

−

* solved issue with indexer using data discovered from .debug_macro

+

−

** command line macros now discovered from modules compiled with -g3

+

−

=== Oct 28, 2013 ===

−

* changed code to clean-up if an executable is specified

+

The following shows the debugger once started:

−

** running again with no executable specified will use the last launch

+

−

* added support for specifying build console

+

−

** build console is parsed for flags and include path settings

+

−

=== Nov 18, 2013 ===

+

[[Image:StandaloneDebuggerScreenshot.png]]

−

* added progress dialog

+

== How to try it out ==

−

* added support for running via command-line script

+

−

** fixed program argument parsing

+

−

** figured out what minimally is needed to reuse repository

+

−

* fixed some warnings and errors

+

−

=== Dec 20, 2013 ===

+

There are two flavours of the Standalone Debugger:

−

* added gdbstandalone.zip to run from command line with Luna M4 CPP EPP

+

# Downloaded from eclipse.org

−

* added default jar to use with Eclipse Luna M4 CPP EPP

+

# Installed as part of a Linux distro

−

* completed GDBStandalone.product which contains icons

+

−

* added check for invalid executable

+

−

** special dialog brought up to fix executable location and enter arguments

#* this will default to use the workspace: workspace-cdtdebug if you do not specifiy a workspace via the -data option

+

+

To try out the Standalone Debugger on a Linux distro:

+

+

# Install or update the eclipse-cdt package to 8.4.0-1 or higher

+

# The installation of the package will install a cdtdebug script for you in a shared folder (e.g. /usr/bin/cdtdebug)

+

# Running the cdtdebug binary will create a unique folder for you in your $HOME directory (e.g. $HOME/fcdtdebugger for Fedora)

+

#* This enables you to have both the downloaded version and installed distro version at the same time

+

# cdtdebug .... (see above or use --help option for arguments)

+

+

The two versions are essentially the same except for the config.ini files that are used in start-up. For a distro version

+

of eclipse-cdt, CDT plug-ins and features need to be specified as file locations whereas in the download case, it is sufficient

+

to specify Eclipse bundle names.

+

+

In the case of the downloaded version, updating some plug-ins and features is fine since the bundle names do not change.

+

For the distro version, the CDT is updated by updating the entire eclipse-cdt package at once and this will update the

+

cdtdebug script and its accompanying config.ini file.

+

+

Mixing the two types of CDT is not supported for the Standalone Debugger. This can occur if the user installs a distro version

+

of the Eclipse platform and then uses the Eclipse Update within the IDE to download the CDT Standalone Debugger from eclipse.org.

+

This installs the feature and plug-ins into the user's local $HOME/.eclipse folder. Running the install.sh script from there

+

will check for this and give an error.

+

+

== Status ==

−

* added New Executable dialog off of File menu to allow specification of

+

The Standalone Debugger is released with the Eclipse Luna SR0 which is available from the Eclipse downloads URL. It is part of the

−

different executable to debug

+

Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers download and can also be downloaded via the Eclipse Luna site using the Eclipse Update facility (under the

−

* added Help doc support, but no docs enabled as of yet

+

top-level Help menu). Some fixes have already been made to the Debugger and these are found at the CDT nightly download site:

−

* added Customize Perspective from Window menu to allow enablement

+

http://download.eclipse.org/tools/cdt/builds/master/nightly

−

of Reverse Debugging and C/C++ Tracepoint support

+

Latest revision as of 12:33, 22 July 2014

This page details the effort to create a stand-alone C/C++ Debugger using Eclipse.

What is it?

The Standalone Debugger is an Eclipse application that starts up a subset of the Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tooling)
plug-ins that pertain
specifically to C/C++ debugging. The application has an accompanying command-line script which allows an end-user to
start up the debugger from the command-line and pass arguments that will start the debugger for the appropriate task.

The end-user can specify either to debug an application, to attach to an existing process, or to debug a core-file.
In addition, a build log can be specified to aid the Debugger in locating include files and calculate what flags were
used to compile the source code. This allows the CDT indexer to parse the code properly which is needed for tasks such
as searching code for C/C++ constructs and locating declarations and implementation of C/C++ methods and functions.

The following details the help text of the downloaded version of the script:

Usage: cdtdebug.sh [ECLIPSE_OPTIONS] [-b BUILD_LOG] [TARGET_OPTION]

Debug an executable, core-file, or an existing process using the Eclipse
C/C++ Stand-alone Debugger. Eclipse command-line options may be passed
except for -vmargs which is being used to start up the Eclipse Debugger.

The -e option must be used last as subsequent options are passed to main.

Specifying insufficient arguments for a particular target will result in a
dialog displayed to enter the required values for that target. Specifying
no target option brings up a dialog for debugging an executable with the
executable path, program arguments, and build log filled in from the last -e
invocation, if one exists.

The Standalone Debugger is designed to make debugging easier for the C/C++ developer that has little to no experience with Eclipse.

Normally, to use the C/C++ tools in Eclipse, a user needs to set up an Eclipse project. An Eclipse project has natures which dictates various menus and actions
that are appropriate for the project. For example, one might have Eclipse loaded with Java and C/C++ support, but a user does not
want to see Java-specific menu items for a project that has been designated C/C++. For C/C++, there are multiple natures that may apply due to the fact that there are multiple types of C/C++ projects based on how the project is built (e.g. an Autotools project vs a project which maintains its own Makefile). Rather than impose the Eclipse project model on the end-user that just wishes
to debug, the Standalone Debugger automatically creates a C/C++ project on behalf of the end-user. As mentioned, the Standalone Debugger only loads a subset of the all the CDT plug-ins pertaining
to debugging and build plug-ins are not included in this list. Thus, the Standalone debugger does not have to be concerned with adding natures pertaining
to build.

To debug an application, attached process, or core-file, in Eclipse, a user would normally have to set up
an Eclipse launch configuration. Launch configurations store all the information required to launch an application such as
what application is being launched, parameters passed, environment variables, etc... In the case of a debug launch configuration this
includes what debugger is used and parameters to the debugger itself. At present, the debugger used is gdb. Launch configurations can have different types based on what
is being launched. This allows the UI to request the appropriate info from the user (e.g. if launching a core-file, the core-file location plus the executable location is needed). Rather than force an end-user to learn how to use launch configurations, the Standalone Debugger creates an Eclipse launch configuration on behalf of
the end-user based on the parameters used. The debug session is automatically started so the end-user basically
just has to start debugging which is fairly intuitive in the Eclipse IDE.

While knowledge of Eclipse launch configurations and projects are not required for users of the Standalone Debugger, they still exist and experienced Eclipse users can manipulate the default projects and launch configurations created if so desired.

Once the IDE is started, a user may debug other executables, attached processes, or core-files manually. These actions are provided under the top-level File menu and each action will prompt the user for the required information.

this will create the directory: $HOME/cdtdebugger for you where the cdtdebug.sh script will be installed

To run the debugger:

$HOME/cdtdebugger/cdtdebug.sh ... (see above or use --help option for arguments)

this will default to use the workspace: workspace-cdtdebug if you do not specifiy a workspace via the -data option

To try out the Standalone Debugger on a Linux distro:

Install or update the eclipse-cdt package to 8.4.0-1 or higher

The installation of the package will install a cdtdebug script for you in a shared folder (e.g. /usr/bin/cdtdebug)

Running the cdtdebug binary will create a unique folder for you in your $HOME directory (e.g. $HOME/fcdtdebugger for Fedora)

This enables you to have both the downloaded version and installed distro version at the same time

cdtdebug .... (see above or use --help option for arguments)

The two versions are essentially the same except for the config.ini files that are used in start-up. For a distro version
of eclipse-cdt, CDT plug-ins and features need to be specified as file locations whereas in the download case, it is sufficient
to specify Eclipse bundle names.

In the case of the downloaded version, updating some plug-ins and features is fine since the bundle names do not change.
For the distro version, the CDT is updated by updating the entire eclipse-cdt package at once and this will update the
cdtdebug script and its accompanying config.ini file.

Mixing the two types of CDT is not supported for the Standalone Debugger. This can occur if the user installs a distro version
of the Eclipse platform and then uses the Eclipse Update within the IDE to download the CDT Standalone Debugger from eclipse.org.
This installs the feature and plug-ins into the user's local $HOME/.eclipse folder. Running the install.sh script from there
will check for this and give an error.

Status

The Standalone Debugger is released with the Eclipse Luna SR0 which is available from the Eclipse downloads URL. It is part of the
Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers download and can also be downloaded via the Eclipse Luna site using the Eclipse Update facility (under the
top-level Help menu). Some fixes have already been made to the Debugger and these are found at the CDT nightly download site:
http://download.eclipse.org/tools/cdt/builds/master/nightly